Too Late
by BubblesFullbuster
Summary: Erza didn't realize her feelings for him before he was snatched away by the cruel gears of fate.


**So, this is my first Jerza fanfic. I tried to stick to canon as much as possible, but I couldn't remember the exact words they all said. So I changed their words. XD **

**I hope you enjoy! :)**

-x-

As a child, Erza had admired Jellal and his compassionate nature. He was a natural leader - compassionate and friendly, kind and thoughtful. He helped her stand on her own two feet, and provided comforts in the worst of times.

Their situation, and that of countless other women, men and children, was difficult at best, and a nightmare at worst. They were forced to perform strenuous tasks under the cool gaze of the harsh supervisors, allowed very little respite from the back-breaking labour. They were crammed into tiny cells, given barely enough room to stretch out and rest after a long day of building. Food was given once a day, in the morning. Just a small, hard crust of bread and a cup of dirty water. That was all the supervisors deemed 'necessary' for a day of work.

Despite the harsh circumstances the children found themselves in, they remained positive that someday, in the near future, they would be rescued. A group of kind-hearted magicians would burst in, blast the supervisors to bits and take the prisoners to a safe haven, where they would learn to function as normal citizens. From the time Erza had been taken from her home, she had been alone. She had worked alone, eaten alone and slept alone. The reason was, quite simply, that she didn't want to have to rely on anyone for anything. She had once made the mistake of sleeping next to an old man who seemed sweet and kind. However, she'd woken one night to find his hands roaming her small, undernourished body. Erza knew that the consequences of causing a disturbance at night were far worse than those of handling things herself. She hit the man on his head with a jagged chunk of rock and scrambled away as fast as she could. She hadn't seen him again after that night.

And then... Then, Jellal had been captured. He had been thrown into Erza's cell one night, dressed in rags and scarcely able to move. Erza glanced at him, noted the red tattoos on his face and deduced that he was a new arrival. His hair was a startling shade of electric blue, a colour that Erza knew would darken over the next few years. Brown eyes looked pleadingly at Erza as she walked over to him, as if begging her not to hurt him more than he already had been. For some reason, Erza took pity on him. He was in the same situation as she, and she was starting to feel the cold pangs of loneliness whenever she ignored eye contact with someone.

Erza half-carried Jellal to the small area of ground she'd claimed as her own. He was so weak, so weary - but he still had meat on his bones. This led Erza to believe that he had been captured very recently, as he hadn't yet lost the puppy fat and extra weight that were inevitably lost after the grueling work and starvation the prisoners endured. She lay him gently down, arranging his body into a tight ball. She lay down beside him and brushed the hair from his eyes, noting the fevered sweatiness of his forehead. Erza dozed off into a fitful sleep, consumed with dreams of blue-haired boys and dragons that burned her into a crisp.

The next weeks were difficult for Erza - it was hard to adjust from a life of loneliness to a life of having someone to depend on. Erza had nursed Jellal into health with the limited resources she had, washing his face with a small portion of the water they were given and sharing her bread and water with him. Throughout her ministrations, they talked. They spoke of the life they remembered and their favourites - their favourite foods, their favourite games, their favourite animals and their favourite colours. Erza liked chocolate cake and Jellal liked strawberry cheesecake. It had been years since Erza had tasted chocolate cake, but Jellal fed her imagination with such amazing tales that she could almost feel the silky fur of a dog under her fingers, almost taste the sweet silkiness of icing trailing down her throat. They bonded over tales of their former lives. Jellal had a sarcastic sense of humour quite unlike his sweet personality - it was a fact that Erza found very disconcerting. Several times in their conversations, he had been extremely kind and then suddenly made a statement so sarcastic that Erza was unsure whether to laugh or stay silent.

Erza remembered the moment she became something more than a prisoner. She and Jellal had been sitting in their dusty corner when he asked her name. She had told him, in an uncertain voice, that her name was Erza. She learned that his name was Jellal Fernandes. He had seemed confused when he learned that she had no surname, but soon realised that she had no need to remember a surname when she was trapped in a prison. He had given her a special surname that was hers and nobody else's - Scarlet. "Scarlet - for the colour of your hair!" He'd said with a gleeful grin on his face. From that point on, she was Erza Scarlet, strong and proud.

A week after Jellal's capture, he had healed enough to be able to work alongside Erza. Where Erza had once struggled for almost an hour to drag a heavy rock to the builders, she was now able to carry more rocks with Jellal's help. On the rare occasions that the prisoners were given a day off, she and Jellal would explore the building site and make note of any flaws in the tower.

One day, on one of these rare days off, Erza was unable to find Jellal. She had awoken to discover an empty stretch of rocky ground where Jellal usually slept. Heart pumping wildly, Erza had shot up and raced off to the building site, certain that she would find Jellal's broken body near a supervisor who did not appreciate snooping children. She spent the majority of the day looking for a sign, any sign, that Jellal had not abandoned her. She returned to her small sleeping area, heartbroken, and curled into a small ball. She felt a tingling wet sensation on her cheek and was horrified to realise that she was crying. She hadn't cried since the first year of her capture, and she was embarrassed to be crying over a boy. She remained in that ball for a good part of an hour, rocking and sobbing. She felt a light touch on her back and looked up to see golden-brown eyes peering sadly down at her.

"Were you really that worried, Erza?" His smooth voice reached Erza's ears and echoed in her head like a mantra. She stared up at him with hollow eyes, giving him no answer. He leaned down and hugged her tightly, whispering "I'm sorry" over and over. He pulled her into a standing position and said, "I found more kids like us. They were alone. Can they stay with us?" She nodded her consent and glanced at the kids behind Jellal. After a round of introductions, she learned that Simon, Milliana, Shõ and Wally had been captured around the same time as Jellal. Simon had even come from a town not too far from hers. They stayed up late into the night, swapping stories and becoming fast friends. When they finally decided to go to sleep, Jellal held Erza's hand tightly and whispered that he would never let her be lonely again.

From that day forth, Erza was never alone. Jellal was often exploring by himself, or with Wally and Shõ, but Simon and Milliana refused point-blank to leave Erza. They shared their bread and water, slept in the same area and worked in a pack. The supervisors often refused to allow groups of prisoners to work together, lest the form an escape plan, but the efficiency and productivity of the pack of children swayed them to allow the group to continue working together. The quality of life had increased tremendously for Erza, who could now no longer understand how she had survived so long without friends to depend on. She had at last discovered the joy that comes from having someone to confide in. Every night, they would all huddle close beside each other for warmth and drift off while chatting about the day. And every night, without fail, Jellal would hold Erza's hand as they slept.

Erza was aware of her feelings changing towards Jellal, but she didn't yet have the ability to explain it in words. All she knew was that when Jellal was around, she felt safe and protected. She felt compelled to scrub the grime from her face and to brush the dust from her hair. She was careful to refrain from raising her voice and using curse words, but she soon stopped acting like a prim princess when Jellal asked her if she was ill. Erza knew she liked Jellal, but she wasn't sure how to act or what to do. And since they were in a prison, Erza knew that love was hardly an appropriate emotion to have. Erza knew this, yet she could not stop her heart from fluttering every time he looked into her eyes.

"Your eyes are so..." Jellal began to speak, but soon trailed off. "So what?" Erza was confused. Was he about to compliment her? Make some sweet comment about how her eyes twinkle like the stars and have the depth of the ocean behind their brown shine. He glanced worriedly at her and replied, "So cold. So hard." Erza was speechless as she tried to figure out what he meant. Did he mean that she was too emotionless? That she had the eyes of an adult who had seen the pain and suffering in the world? "Wh-what do you mean?" She stammered out, feeling as if her world could come crumbling down at any minute. "Your eyes are a beautiful shade of brown. They remind me of home. But they're empty, Erza. You've lost the wonder of life. It's as if you expect to be trapped in this prison forever. But we won't - I promise you. I have a plan for us to escape." Erza was gobsmacked - escape? From this hell? It was a lovely thought, but escape was impossible. The last group who tried to escape had been beaten so badly that they had died. Jellal knew this, so why would he suggest escape?

"Stop doubting, Erza. Believe. Believe that we can escape. Please try, Erza. I can't leave without you by my side. You make me feel brave." Jellal stepped forward and brushed the hair from Erza's eyes. He gave her a brief hug and turned back towards the the wall, about to head back to where Simon and Shõ were waiting in the shadows. He was unprepared for when Erza suddenly tackled him from behind, clinging onto him as if her very life depended on it. "Don't leave me..." Her low whisper was heard only by Jellal, and his reply was heard only by Erza. "I would never."

-x-

Erza screamed, a high noise that reverberated around the chamber. Her scream was filled was the pain and agony she felt, and wracked her entire body into violent shudders. She fought wildly against the restraints that held her, twisting and pulling and yanking her body against them. She screamed again as the flaming poker left the socket where her right eye used to reside, leaving a burning trail of ooze and blood in its wake. The pain was too much for Erza to bear - she could feel black spots threatening to consume her. The pain was excruciating, and yet she refused to tell them that it was Jellal's escape plan. She couldn't - no, wouldn't - give up her best friend to be submitted to this torture or worse. If Erza had to die, so be it, but she wouldn't let Jellal suffer the same fate.

"Fetch Jellal Fernandes. Maybe she'll be more co-operative if he is present." At this hissing whisper, Erza thrashed against her restraints, screaming and denying that Jellal had anything to do with the escape plans. "It was me! Please! It was my plan! Leave Jellal alone! Please!" She dissolved into loud sobbing, aware and yet indifferent to the pain in her throat from her screams of pain and anguish. She watched in sorrow with her remaining eye as Jellal was dragged in. The trickle of blood dripping from his mouth spurred Erza on, and she fought even harder to be free. All she wanted to do was run up to Jellal and cradle his head in her lap, but these damn cuffs held her back. She roared in fury and yelled, "If you touch him, I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!" At the sound of Erza's screams, Jellal stirred and looked Erza apologetically in the eye. "It was me." He murmured. "It was my plan." The last thing Erza saw was the supervisors dragging Jellal's limp body to another thick pole. Then Erza felt a dull thump on her head and the pain melted mercifully away.

-x-

She awoke in her small sleeping corner. There was a dirty bandage wrapped around her head, covering the hole where her right eye once was. A large lump distorted her head, and there were many cuts and bruises covering her body, but she was alive. Looking up, she saw Wally, Simon, Milliana and Shõ observing her warily. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and frowned at her friends. "Don't look so worried. I'm okay. Where's Jellal?" Milliana's eyes filled with tears, Simon's gaze seemed to harden and and Shõ looked away in shame. Wally responded, "They have him. They took him, Erza." Erza reacted quite unlike how they had thought she would react. They had expected tears, anger and denial, but Erza shocked them all by nodding slowly and standing up. She took a few shaky steps towards the exit, leaning on the rough cave walls for support. "Where are you going?" Simon asked, a small frown between his eyebrows. "Where do you think? I'm going to get Jellal." Without another word, Erza stumbled out of the cave and headed towards the chamber she had been tortured in.

She had made it almost halfway before the Magic Troops attacked. Pleading with the other prisoners to help save Jellal had little effect - they ran for their lives, almost trampling Erza. Erza stood her ground, staring defiantly at the Troops. A second later, Erza was aware of a great explosion of flame engulfing the troops, decimating their forces. Erza spied Rob standing before her, shielding her from the enemies' attacks. "Go live your dreams, child." He said in a gentle whisper, right before he collapsed into a heap on the ground. Erza recalled a conversation, long ago when she had first met Rob, where she had declared her desire to be a witch.

Grief was the first emotion that struck Erza. It bubbled inside her, distorting her vision into a myriad of images from the past. Fury came next, dancing around her mind and twisting her insides, forcing her to grip the stony ground for fear of hurting anything and everything. Erza felt a foreign feeling engulfing her - it was a dark, smothering blanket that masked the world from her. Although it was stifling, there was the promise of something sweet beyond - freedom. Erza imagined releasing this power into her environment, imagined it destroying those who had stolen her life away from her. A blankness descended upon her mind, obscuring the events of the next few seconds from her. When she extracted herself from the stifling cover, she noted the destruction and wreckage around her. Rocks and bits of broken metal lay randomly around her, as if they had been picked up and thrown violently. There was no sign of any Magic Troops.

Erza stood shakily up and stumbled as quickly as she could to the torture chamber. Although it had been a while since she had walked the dingy hallways, she remembered the way as clearly as the back of her hand. She followed her instincts, fighting the feeling of despair creeping up her back. Jellal was alright. He had to be alright. He was stronger than Erza, and Erza had survived, so he must have survived too. She entered the dark chamber, shuddering at her recent memories of hell in there. She saw Jellal, standing silently in the center of the chamber. "Jellal? Are you okay? I'm sorry, I came as quickly as I..." She trailed off as she noticed the supervisors tied to the very poles that she and Jellal had been tortured against no less than 24 hours ago. "I've been waiting for you, Erza." Jellal's voice, still as smooth and velvety as she remembered, sounded off, for some reason. It sounded jerky, halting, as if he was being used by a ventriloquist who had not quite mastered the art of smooth speech.

She took a step forward, hesitantly, glancing around the room as if expecting enemies to jump out of the walls. She grabbed his hand and started pulling him to the door, saying, "We have to get out of here. There's been a revolution and we have to escape now! Where are Simon, Milliana, Wally and Shõ?" Feeling resistance, Erza looked back. Jellal was pulling away from her hand, looking back at the supervisors. "Leave them, Jellal! We have to go!" With one final tug, Jellal strode back to the supervisors. Sensing something dangerous in the way he stood before them, Erza screwed her eyes shut tightly and looked away. Not a moment later, a bright flash of light illuminated the dreary chamber, filling every crack and crevice. When Erza dared to look up, the sight of the supervisors' lifeless corpses greeted her.

For the first time in her life, Erza felt scared of Jellal and what he could do. With one flash of light, he had snuffed the life from two men who may have had families, who were only following orders. She backed away from him slowly and fumbled for the door knob with her hand. Jellal was now pacing the chamber, muttering under his breath about true freedom. Suddenly, he rounded on her. "We can do it, Erza! Together we can create true freedom! Join me. Help me rebuild this tower. We'll make life better for the prisoners." Erza shook her head, fighting back tears. "No, Jellal. I want to go home." His gaze darkened with fury and he stepped towards her. "Then go! Leave. Go home. But Wally, Simon, Milliana and Shõ are staying here. If you come back here, I'll kill them and then you. Go!" Erza sobbed and ran from the room. A stray beam from the Magic Troops raced towards her, and Erza felt a small twinge of pain blossoming in her chest before everything mercifully turned dark.

-x-

Erza awoke some hours later. The beach she found herself on was secluded and empty, but Erza did not notice the lack of people. She squished her toes into the sand and marvelled at the coarse grains. With a small smile on her face, she bounded towards the dark ocean. As she reached the water, she felt an emotion she hadn't felt for quite some time bubbling up inside her chest - joy. She splashed in the cold waves for quite some time, rejoicing at the feeling of water on her pained skin. Erza stopped dead as she realised that she was enjoying the feeling of freedom. How could she enjoy freedom if Jellal wasn't there enjoying it with her? Erza stumbled back onto the sand and collapsed onto her knees. A tear trickled from her left eye but she brushed it angrily away. How could Jellal leave her like that? How could he build her up and then break her down into a vulnerable mess?

Hearing footsteps, Erza glanced around surreptitiously. She scurried off into a cluster of dark bushes, peeking out to see who the intruder was. A short old man with shocks of white hair was standing where she had only moments ago been kneeling. He seemed to be analysing the area, looking in every direction before finally facing the cluster of bushes. "I know you're there, so why don't you come out and speak with me?" He asked in a bossy tone. Erza gathered her courage and stood before the man. He looked her up and down, and chuckled. "Been in the wars, have you? Come, I'll take you to a healer I know. She's quite grumpy, but she'll fix you up." Erza nodded dumbly, and followed the old man to Magnolia Town, to a raucous guild called Fairy Tail. Erza, staring up at the guild insignia above the door, had no idea that this guild would be the cause of many adventures and joyous moments. Erza decided, then and there, that she would never allow herself to be weak again. She had tasted the bitter cocktail of vulnerability once, and had no desire to revisit that painful emotion ever again.

**I think I'll make this a multi-chapter story, but I don't really know if I should. Let me know if y'all think I should. ;)**

**Please review, favourite and follow! All constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated, but all flames will be eaten and digested by Natsu. **


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